The Riddler, a supervillain in DC Comics and an adversary of the superhero Batman, has been adapted into numerous forms of media, including feature films, television series, and video games. The character has been portrayed in live-action by Frank Gorshin and John Astin in the 1960s television series Batman, Jim Carrey in the 1995 film Batman Forever, Cory Michael Smith in the 2014 Fox series Gotham, and Paul Dano in the 2022 film The Batman. Actors who have voiced the Riddler include John Glover in the DC Animated Universe, Robert Englund in The Batman, and Wally Wingert in the Batman: Arkham video games.
Television Live-action
The Riddler appears in Batman (1966), portrayed by Frank Gorshin in the first and third seasons and John Astin in the second season. This version was inspired by the Riddler's first Silver Age appearance, with the premiere episode being an adaptation of Batman #171. Gorshin would be nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance, which elevated the character's popularity and turned him into a major member of Batman's rogues gallery. The Riddler appears in Legends of the Superheroes, portrayed again by Frank Gorshin. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom. A young Edward Nygma appears in Gotham, portrayed by Cory Michael Smith. This version is a forensic scientist working for the Gotham City Police Department who has a fondness for expressing his findings in the form of riddles before eventually turning to crime and terrorizing Gotham as the Riddler. The series traces his evolution into a master criminal as well as his complicated, love–hate relationship with fellow criminal Oswald Cobblepot.
Animation
The Riddler appears in The Batman/Superman Hour, voiced by Ted Knight. The Riddler appears in the opening of The New Adventures of Batman, sporting a red costume instead of the traditional green. The Riddler appears in Challenge of the Superfriends, voiced by Michael Bell. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom. The Riddler appears in Super Friends, voiced again by Michael Bell. The Riddler appears in The Batman (2004), voiced by Robert Englund. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version sports a Gothic appearance and is served by henchmen called Riddlemen. In the past, he and his partner Julie (voiced by Brooke Shields) worked on a device capable of enhancing the human brain when he was approached by a businessman named Chuck Gorman (voiced by Bob Gunton), who wanted to purchase the rights to the device, though Nygma refused. When the device malfunctioned at a demonstration, Nygma accused Gorman of sabotaging it and attempted to kill him, only to be foiled by Batman. In the present, Nygma becomes the Riddler to make another attempt on Gorman's life, only to learn that Gorman is innocent and it was Julie who sabotaged their device out of greed. The Riddler appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by John Michael Higgins. In his most notable appearance in the episode "The Criss Cross Conspiracy!", he is targeted by Batwoman, whom he had publicly unmasked and humiliated ten years prior. The Riddler appears in Robot Chicken, voiced initially by Patrick Warburton and later by Paul Reubens. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom. The Riddler appears in Young Justice, voiced by Dave Franco. This version is a member of the Light. The Riddler appears in the DC Nation Shorts segment "Riddle Me This!", voiced by "Weird Al" Yankovic. The Riddler makes cameo appearances in Teen Titans Go! (2013). The Riddler appears in DC Super Friends, voiced by Steve Staley. The Riddler appears in the Justice League Action episode "E. Nygma, Consulting Detective", voiced by Brent Spiner. This version is a detective, reformed criminal, and rival of the Joker who sports a shaved head. The Riddler appears in DC Super Hero Girls (2019), voiced by David Hornsby. The Riddler appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by Jim Rash. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom in the first season and the Injustice League in the second season. Additionally, he takes on a muscular physique after being captured by Harley Quinn's crew and being forced to power their mall lair in the latter season. As of the third season, he has returned to his slim physique and entered a relationship with the Clock King. In "Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special", the Riddler proposes to Clock King and the pair get engaged. The Riddler appears in Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, voiced again by Rash. The Riddler appears in Batwheels, voiced by SungWon Cho. The Riddler appears in Batman: Caped Crusader, voiced by Ronan Raftery. This version is an impulsive, borderline psychotic gangster who works for Rupert Thorne and gained the "Riddler" nickname for riddling his targets with bullets. After Thorne's disappearance, the Riddler takes over Thorne's operations until he is killed by Thorn, whose father he killed.
DC Animated Universe
Edward Nygma / Riddler appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by John Glover. To avoid confusion with the Joker, the producers of Batman: The Animated Series chose not to portray this version as Frank Gorshin's cackling trickster from Batman (1966); instead portraying the Riddler as a smooth intellectual who presents genuinely challenging puzzles and dresses in a sedated version of Gorshin's preferred costume for the character. The series creators also admitted they did not use him often because his character made story plots too long, complex, or bizarre, and they found it difficult to devise the villain's riddles.Comics Scene #43, published by Starlog The Riddler first appears in Batman: The Animated Series (1992), with his design consisting of a green suit, purple mask, and a staff that lacks the usual question mark-shaped design. Introduced in the episode "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?", Nygma was originally a video game developer before being unjustly fired by his greedy boss, Daniel Mockridge, who stole his ideas. The Riddler makes minor appearances in The New Batman Adventures, now sporting a unitard with a large question mark and no hair and mask. The Riddler makes a minor appearance in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Knight Time". An android drone of the Riddler makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Batman Beyond episode "Terry's Friend Dates a Robot". The Riddler was originally planned to appear in the third season of Justice League Unlimited as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society as a tribute to his appearance in Challenge of the Superfriends (see above). However, due to rights issues caused by the "Bat-embargo", the plan was scrapped.
Film Live-action
The Batman (1966) incarnation of the Riddler appears in the self-titled film adaptation, portrayed again by Frank Gorshin. Edward Nygma / Riddler appears in Batman Forever, portrayed by Jim Carrey. This version is an eccentric, amoral Wayne Enterprises inventor who designs "The Box", a device seemingly capable of projecting images into a person's mind while transferring neural energy into others to enhance their intellects. After Bruce Wayne rejects his invention due to ethical and safety concerns, Nygma becomes the Riddler to prove his superiority to him by obsessively sending him puzzles to solve. Nygma later allies with Two-Face and goes on a crime spree to fund his own company, NygmaTech, mass-produce the Box's technology, and market it as a means of enhancing how viewers watch television; allowing him to absorb all of Gotham City's citizens' intelligence and deduce that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Ultimately, Batman shatters the master box, which overloads the information flow into Riddler's brain, damaging the latter's mind before he is incarcerated at Arkham Asylum, thinking he is Batman. Edward Nashton / Riddler appears in The Batman (2022), portrayed by Paul Dano. This version is a masked serial killer, partly based on the real-life Zodiac Killer, who seeks to "unmask the truth" about Gotham City's upper class while leaving cryptic messages for Batman, and wears military cold weather gear. Nashton grew up in Thomas Wayne's orphanage, which was underfunded after corruption siphoned off its endowment, holds a grudge against Bruce Wayne for his privileged childhood, and ironically sees Batman as a kindred spirit. After killing three corrupt city officials and crime boss Carmine Falcone, Nashton allows himself to be captured and sent to Arkham Hospital so that Batman can discover his ultimate plan: bombing Gotham's breakwaters and flooding it while his online followers carry out a massacre at the opposing mayoral candidate's election night rally, which Batman and Catwoman narrowly thwart. Later, in Arkham, Nashton befriends his mysterious cellmate.
Animation The Riddler makes a cameo appearance in Batman: Under the Red Hood, voiced by Bruce Timm. The Riddler appears in Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite, voiced by Rob Paulsen. The Riddler appears in Batman: Assault on Arkham, voiced by Matthew Gray Gubler. This version is a former member of the Suicide Squad who discovered how to disarm the nano-bombs that the squad's handler, Amanda Waller, implants into the group's members to keep them in line. The Batman (1966) incarnation of the Riddler appears in Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders and Batman vs. Two-Face, voiced again by Wally Wingert. The Riddler appears in The Lego Batman Movie, voiced by Conan O'Brien. The Batman: The Brave and the Bold incarnation of the Riddler appears in Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced again by John Michael Higgins. It is revealed that he is a former assistant of Professor Milo and seeks to revive a dimensional portal project he was involved in. Edward Nygma appears in Batman: Hush, voiced by Geoffrey Arend. Similarly to the comics, this version deduces Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne while using a Lazarus Pit to cure his brain tumor. However, Nygma goes on to use the alternate alter-ego Hush to manipulate other supervillains into destroying Batman on multiple fronts while using Clayface to assume his Riddler identity to maintain appearances. Ultimately, Nygma's plans are foiled and he is killed by Catwoman. The Riddler appears in Lego DC Batman: Family Matters, voiced by André Sogliuzzo. The Riddler makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Batman: Death in the Family. The Riddler makes a minor non-speaking appearance in Injustice. The Riddler appears in Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom. The Riddler makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Merry Little Batman. The Riddler appears in Batman: Knightfall, voiced by David Dastmalchian.
Video games
The Riddler appears as a boss in Batman: The Animated Series (1993). The Riddler appears as a boss in The Adventures of Batman & Robin, voiced again by John Glover. The Riddler, based on Jim Carrey's portrayal, appears as a boss in the Batman Forever film tie-in game. The Riddler appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Shannon McCormick. This version is a detective. The Riddler appears in Minecraft via the "Batman" DLC. The Riddler appears as a non-player character (NPC) in Injustice: Gods Among Us via the Arkham Asylum stage. The Riddler appears as a boss in Young Justice: Legacy, voiced by Jason Spisak.